1.10 but if thou beest so happy in finding this to be thy present state and see how far forth thou hast profited in the Schoole of Christ consider then whether thou thy selfe wouldest have been contented or how desperate thy condition must needs have been if others had cut thee off by persecution in the midst of all thy sins Dear Christian if the love of God cannot yet pierce thy stony heart let the feare of his judgements begin to terrifie thy conscience he will be contented to winne thee either way but if neither can prevaile whilst thou art so encompassed with jollities of this world remember that for all this thou must one day come to judgement and then stand at his Tribunall when thou hast nothing but thy sinfull nakednesse to hide thee nothing but the horror of thy guilty conscience to comfort thee and none to speake for thee but the terrible yet just Judge whom thou hast persecuted in his Saints to condemne thee unto eternall torments Oh! suffer me I beseech thee in the meeknesse of our Saviour whilst there is yet time who knows how near it is expired to importune thee at the sight thereof to be serious a little while and consider that since according to these rules of persecution thou thy selfe must have beene persecuted and perished everlastingly how unsafe it is for thee still to harbour them in thy thoughts approve them in thy judgement and countenance or assist the practise of them and whether thou dost not now runne a greater hazard by being accessory to offending vexing troubling and putting to death of many Saints then at the first when thou couldest but have beene a patient in thine owne person or else a stander by no ring-leader Renounce therefore these bloody doctrines bearing thy brethrens weaknesses and therein thine owne that both may live and grow up together edifying each other in true piety and godlinesse CHAP. XIV Christs Commands and the Apostles practise are both against persecution for conscience sake MArke 9.38.39 We saw 1 one casting out divels in thy Name and he followeth not us and we forbad him because he followeth not us but Jesus said forbid him not for there is no man which shall doe a miracle in my Name that can lightly speake evill of me He that is not against us is with us Phil. 1.16,17,18 Some preach Christ even of 2 envy and strife and some also of good will the one preach Christ of contention the other of love what then notwithstanding every way whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached and I therein doe rejoyce yea and will rejoyce 1 Cor. 12. from 4. to 11. There are 3 diversities of gifts but the same Spirit and there are differences of administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdome to an other the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to one faith by the same Spirit to an other the gift of healing to one the working of miracles to an other prophesie to one discerning of spirits to an other divers kinde of tongues and to an other the interpretation of tongues but all these worketh that one and the selfe same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will and v. 23. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Rom. 12.3,4,5,6,7,8 I Paul through the grace of God given unto me say unto every man that is among you not to thinke of himselfe more highly then yee ought to thinke but to thinke soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another Having then gifts differing according to the grace which is given to us whether prophesie let us prophesie according to the proportion of faith or Ministry let us wait on our Ministry or he that teacheth on teaching or he that exhorteth on exhortation Acts 18.24,25,26 A 4 certaine Jew named Apollos instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the spirit he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptisme of John and he began to speake boldly in the Synagogue whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard they tooke him unto them and expounded unto them the way of God more perfectly Acts 19. from 1. to 6. Paul came to Ephesus and finding certaine 5 Disciples he said unto them have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed and they said unto him we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost and he said unto them unto what then were ye baptised and they said unto Johns baptisme then said Paul John verily baptised with the baptisme of repentance saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him that is on Christ Jesus when they heard this they were baptised in the Name of the Lord Jesus and when Paul had laid his hands upon them the Holy Ghost came on them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied Luke 9.52,53,54,55,56 And Jesus sent into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him and they did not receive him and when his Disciples James and John saw this they said Lord wilt thou that we command 6 sire to come downe from heaven to consume them as Elias did but he turned and rebuked them saying ye know not what spirit ye are of the Sonne of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Matth. 13. from v. 24. to 30. The Kingdome of Heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field and while the man slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way but when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit then appeared the tares also so the servants of the housholder came and said unto him Sir Didst not thou sow good seed in this field from whence then hath it tares he said unto them an enemy hath done this the servants said unto him wilt thou that we goe and gather them up but he said nay lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them let both grow together untill the harvest and in time of harvest I will say unto the reapers gather ye together first the tares and binde them in bundles to burne them â— but gather the wheat into my barne 1 Cor. 7.12.15 If any brother have a wife that believeth not and she be pleased to dwell with him let him not put her away but if she will depart let her Observations upon CHAP. XIV 1 IF he that did this miracle had been a true servant of Christ 't is
our spirits Rom. 8.16 save according to our owne eyes reason and understanding that he may be beholding to others to let him see and understand by proxie who though they were millions are no more infallible then the single sight reason and understanding of any particular man or woman It may be granted that the Apostles according to that of Paul 1 Con. 11.34 did settle many things of decencie and order in the Churches which are not registred Scriptures because they might be changed as occasion should require but we doe not finde any where that the Apostles themselves engaged Christians unto such decrees of deceneie or order otherwise then they themselves did voluntarily submit unto them remiuing such as were refractory to be punished by their Grand Master to whom they stand or fall Rom. 14.4 so much lesse will it follow from hence that Christian States Churches which have not the same infallible Spirit of the Apostles may establish such ceremonies and canons as they thinks requisitc requiring an absolute subjection and submission which was only due due unto the Apostles this is both beyond their bounds and contrary to the Christian Liberty of their brethren 3 If we desire to be found Christs hereafter we must live like his at present to him only must we give tribute no lesse then our whole soules will serve his owne and therefore in the least tittle we comply with the 〈◊〉 or his Image in any of his imps that would bring us into spirituall tyranny and bondage it is a sighe we have ease off our Master Christ Jesus and are no longer his friends but become outcasts enthralled to the Aegyptian Task-masters of this world and reserved to eternall bondage and torments in the world to come CHAP. V. Christs and the Apostles testimonies concerning Gods free Grace and mans naturall incapacity IOh. 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father draw him V. 65. No man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father Matth. 16.17 Flesh and bloud hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven Joh. 15.5 Without me you can doe nothing Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God 1 Cor. 3.6 Though Paul plant and Apollo water 't is God that gives the increase C. 2.5 Your faith should not stand in the wisdome of men but in demonstration of the Spirit C. 3.7 Neither is he that planteth or he that watereth any thing but God that giveth the increase C. 2.7,8,9,10 We speake the wisdome of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdome which none of the Princes of this world knew neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit Eph 2.2.4.5 In times past ye walked according to the Prince of the power of the aire but God hath quickned us together with Christ by grace you are saved Joh. 6.63 It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh prositeth nothing 1 Cor. 12.3 No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Matth. 7.18 A good tree cannot bring forth evill fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnes unto him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discerned Rom. 8.7.8 The carnast minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God Joh. 3.27 A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven C. 14.17 The world cannot receive the Spirit of truth because it seeth him not neither knoweth him Observations upon CHAP. V. T Is said in Pauls Epistle to the Romans that we know not what to pray for as we ought Rom. 3.26 how much lesse doe we know how to beleeve as we ought and yet least of all are we able to beleeve as we would Oh! but some will say if you know not what or how to beleeve you must learne you shall be taught and so desirous are they to make a proselite of you that they will furnish you with a Cate chife which tells you all they say is according to the word of God that 't is Gods absolute will and pleasure you should beleeve it and that you must necessarily beleeve it upon perill of damnation yea answers a weake Christian that is wearied with their importunity tyred out of their vexations and made fearfull of longer imprisonment or death you say well but how shall I prevaile with my selfe to beleeve what you say Thus reply these instructers like Jobs miserable comforters Job 2.9 c. 16.2 yeeld obedience to what is taught you meditate on it often desire to beleeve it practise and live according to it and God in time will bring you to beleeve it But is this the way Then poore Popery why art thou spoken evill of like Paul who though he preacht Circumcision was persecuted as if he had taught the Jewes to walke after other customes then those which Moses learnt them Act. 21.21 Gal. 5.11 poore Popery surely this is thy beloved doctrine and very injurious are they who will not acknowledge the pedegree thereof from thee from Antichrist But how truly Canonicall it is both thou thy selfe and all the world may know by this short history A merry companion as the world calls him or smel-feast next to his fresh supply of newes had furnished himself with certaine strange but ingenious conceited satyricall and for the most part scurrilous prophane jests and stories in such abundance and variety that upon all occasion of common discourse which generally is idle and vaine he was still able to insert some one or other with such dexterity and applause that thereby he did ingratiate himselfe into all company and got many a good morsell gratis Now although these stories were meerly of his owne invention and nothing below the degree of supernaturall could prove them possible yet having related them so often and being many times of course constrained to assert the truth of them with change of oaths by degree forgetting they were the fancies of his own fond head-peece became at last to take them so far for verities as if he himselfe had seen them acted or had relation from such as were eye-witnesses Thus if you will take up upon trust the tenets of Poperty or any erroneous doctrine though at first with much reluctancie complying and conforming there unto without a preceding examination whether they be of God or no 1 Joh. 4.1 't is just with him through the delusions of Sathan and your owne corruptions to give you up that you may beleeve a lie as Paul